Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
...it seems as though Montbleau could be on the verge of something big. Hesitant to describe his sound himself, Montbleau’s originality defies contemporary categorization.
“It’s good music I hope. It’s based in blues…it’s not straight up folk, it’s not funk, it’s not soul because I’m a white boy from Peabody,” he laughs. When pressed, Montbleau uses phrases like “soul vocals with funky guitar” to describe his unique, guitar-slapping, bluesy sound. His albums contain an array of tunes ranging from fast-paced, motor-mouthed accolades of love (“Honeymoon Eyes”) to a tribute/psuedo-rant on his former day job as a substitute teacher (“Substitute Teacher Blues”).
Looking at him in person, his face slightly shaded by a black cap and his smallish frame shrouded in a simple sweatshirt, it’s hard to imagine that such a big voice flows forth from such a humble person. But flow it does, easily, with strength that makes him seem at times like he’s channeling blues legends and at times a freestyle rapper.
Watching him perform it’s easy to get caught up in his lyrics as much as the toe-tapping rhythms he beats out on his guitar face. He is clearly a performer that loves what he is doing...
“I’m excited to do it, excited to get out there. I love that (my) goal for the day is to drive somewhere and play music.”
Montbleau doesn’t see success as a carrot dangling in front of him, but rather feels that he has already succeeded by being able to do what he loves. To him, the rest is just icing.
- InSite Magazine
“Fans of Jamiroquoi and Ben Harper will find Paradise in . . . R&B wonder boy Ryan Montbleau.” - Boston Globe
Ryan Montbleau is going places. This Boston based singer/songwriter plays acoustic soul with heavy emphasis on soul! Stretch (from his second album Stages) showcases Ryan's Stevie Wonder-esque voice and unique guitar style.
- CDFreedom.com
Once you see Montbleau perform live, you’ll understand the enthusiasm and commitment he brings to performance....Ryan Montbleau could well be the love child of Ben Harper + Martin Sexton + Stevie Wonder. If John Mayer could jazz up his pansy rock and extend his range, he’d still envy Ryan’s songs. - Audubon Dougherty
Bridging the gap between Kimock and the New Deal’s set to follow, Ryan Montbleau spilled his heart and soul out through voice and acoustic guitar. An artist with songs that touch upon personal yet familiar moments in life, Ryan deservingly earned many a new fan on this Friday afternoon in the mountains.
- Yosh
Fans of the Ryan Montbleau Band do not lie: they really are THAT good! The band opened up Friday night's co-headlining bill with the Seth Yacovone Band at nine-thirty to a room full of very excited people.
Now let's set the scene; you're sitting in a small, intimate club, there's artwork hanging on the left wall, and directly across from it is the bar. But the only thing anyone is looking at is the stage. The rest of the band has taken their places as Ryan walks out from the back room in a black hoodie and dark grey old man hat, picks up his guitar and sits down on the stool. Tonight's set starts off with "Variety," and let me tell you, when the strings kicked in, I was in heaven; this really is a beautiful song. "And sadness and pleasure so close together / I can't seem to tell the difference / Better take it all, I guess" (from "Variety"); "Stretch;" "Sour Grapes," one of my personal favorites; "I'm Around;" "L.I.D.S," and "A Way with Women" followed, causing more and more of the audience to leave their seats and fill up the remaining space between the stage and tables and dance to the music.
"I sing them my song / and I hope they sing along / I know they always sing along / in my imagination" (from "Stretch"). Not only were people, including myself, singing along with every word, but by the time "Quickie" started there wasn't a person in the house who wasn't head-bobbing, toe-tapping or just full out dancing! There's just something about Ryan's voice, a style similar to Jason Mraz', that gets me every time I listen, even if it's only off one of the three albums I now own, "Begin," "Stages," and "The Friends of Mine Compilation," but at least my money is going to something good; who needs to buy school books anyway!
"Ryan Montbleau could well be the love child of Ben Harper, Martin Sexton and Stevie Wonder. If John Mayer could jazz up his pansy rock and extend his range, he'd still envy Ryan's songs."-from Boston's Weekly Dig (January 2003)
The two covers for tonight were Stevie Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You," and Sly and the Family Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay," both of which had Ryan without his guitar and looking for something to do with his hands, leading to some very amusing dance moves. The rest of the set included "Inspired By No One," "Shuffling Paper," and "Any Blues," closed the show.
"I just love them," said Kim Kenny, when asked about the band. "I'm stumped every time I'm asked to explain their style to someone who's never been to a show - it's like blues meets rock, kisses soul, runs into R&B, bonds with big band and flirts with folk. The lyrics always compliment the music, from sentimental to funky feel-good, and are sure to have you yearning to learn the words so you can sing along, too. And the fact that it's all they really seem to want makes it all that more worth the experience."
The Ryan Montbleau Band is: James P. Cohen on drums; Jason Cohen on electric piano, organ and clarinet; Aaron Gelb on tenor and alto sax, bass clarinet, percussion, etc.; Matt Giannaros on acoustic and electric bass; Laurence Scudder on Viola; and Ryan Montbleau on acoustic and electric guitar, and vocals.
- The New Hampshire
[T]here are certain songs that when played acoustically are much more powerful than someone just slamming notes to release some rage. Enter Ryan Montbleau, an up and coming artist from Peabody who specializes in playing acoustic songs from his heart with a unique flare that separates him from other acoustic guitar players in mainstream music today. - Skope Magazine
“Ryan Montbleau could well be the love child of Ben Harper + Martin Sexton + Stevie Wonder. If John Mayer could jazz up his pansy rock and extend his range, he’d still envy Ryan’s songs.”
- Boston’s Weekly Dig
January 2003
“Ryan Montbleau’s charming lyrics and creative guitar playing is earning himself a reputation as one of Boston’s best up and coming stars on the music scene. His style is a throwback to the days of artists like Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan, but with an edge.”
- Skope Magazine
April 2004
“Fans of Jamiroquoi and Ben Harper will find Paradise in . . . R&B wonder boy Ryan Montbleau.”
- Boston Globe
January 2004
“Ryan Montbleau is going places. This Boston based singer/songwriter plays acoustic soul with heavy emphasis on soul! Stretch (from his second album Stages) showcases Ryan's Stevie Wonder-esque voice and unique guitar style.
- CDFreedom.com
February 2004
“It’s hard to imagine that such a big voice flows forth from such a humble person. But flow it does, easily, with strength that makes him seem at times like he’s channeling blues legends and at times a freestyle rapper.”
- INsite Magazine
December 2003
“…guitar playing reminiscent of a funk bass player channeling John Lee Hooker. Lyrically, the phrasing runs the gauntlet of a '70s Stevie Wonder, a '90s Jamiroquoi, and a healthy helping of Robert Plant.”
- The Noise
November 2002
“Ryan Montbleau is a young, talented, singer/songwriter on a mission. With sounds ranging from foot-stomping funk, to stripped-down blues, to sweet folk ballads, this is one night of full soul-sound that shouldn’t be missed.”
- The Original House of Blues, Cambridge, MA
January 2003
- Various Sources
Discography
Stages (2003)
All solo-acoustic and all live (with one bonus studio track), this second offering from Mr. Montbleau takes you right inside the room for one of his blistering solo performances. Recorded during a six-week period in the spring of 2003, the rooms range from a smoky pub, to a small coffehouse, to a large theatre. Enjoy the show.
Begin. (2002)
This debut full-length release includes everything from stripped-down solo acoustic tracks (including one a capella) to meaty full-band productions. From blues to ballads, folk to rootsy R&B, here is disc numero uno from Ryan Montbleau. Let it Begin.
**In addition to these official releases, Ryan Montbleau has also put out several collections of live recordings over the last two years, including: The Moonshine Compilation, The Friend's of Mine Compilation, and Live at the Living Room.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
When the Ryan Montbleau Band sold out Boston’s 600 capacity Paradise Rock Club in November of 2004, it was a watermark of achievement for the 27-year-old singer-songwriter and his band. His first words to the raging crowd (and unfortunately not the 200 that got shut outside in the rain): “I used to play at TGI Friday’s.” He was telling the truth.
Ryan Montbleau graduated from Villanova University in 1999 and came to the realization that music might very well be his calling in life. A late bloomer, his college years had been spent studying poetry, playing guitar for hours and hours a day, and just barely beginning to let out the singing voice he had always carried in his head. It took a few years after college of grabbing any gig he could get – coffeehouses, hippie-juice joints, sports bars, the streets of Harvard Square, dives opening for metal bands, you name it - but five years later Ryan has emerged as a full-blown, full-time artist and a performer with a big bright future ahead.
The sound is one of pure soul-searching wonder. First and foremost, Ryan has established himself as a solo-acoustic performer unlike any other. With a finger-picking style that has been compared to Leo Kottke and Ani DiFranco, soul-folk songwriting skills in the tradition of Martin Sexton, and a singing voice constantly compared to Stevie Wonder, there is clearly an abundance of talent here. Montbleau hopes that there is also a balance of what he calls the “holy trinity” of a singer/songwriter’s craft: guitar, voice, and words. It’s hard to criticize any one of those elements in the songs of Ryan Montbleau.
Slowly but surely, Ryan has also built up a 6-piece band, aptly titled the Ryan Montbleau Band. Much more than a solo artist and a collection of side players, this is very truly a band and takes on a life of it’s own. With drums, upright bass, keys, sax, viola and guitar, the sound ranges from an old-time American jug band, to a funk-crazy jam band, to a smoothed out soul outfit.
Repeating the sellout of the Paradise in March of 2005, Ryan Montbleau and his band have also been hitting the road: HARD. With 196 shows under his belt in 2004, he appears to be on pace for even more this year. From Maine, to Georgia, to Chicago and St. Louis, and just about everywhere in between, crowds are continually growing and word seems to be spreading exponentially. Ryan now sells out rooms all over the northeast, and other regions of the country are very much on the way.
From TGI Friday’s to The Paradise and the Bowery Ballroom, Ryan Montbleau has indeed been picking up momentum over the last few years. Fortunately at this point, he shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
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